ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 23 -- A total of 204 Chinese compatriots were evacuated from Tigray Region in 19 vehicles under the protection of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) on November 19. By then, most of the Chinese compatriots in Tigray have been evacuated, except for a few who are on duty.
Armed clashes broke out between armed forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the ENDF in Tigray, northern Ethiopia in early November. More than 600 Chinese compatriots working on engineering projects and industrial parks in Tigray became worried day and night, and their relatives in China were also extremely anxious.
In order to protect their safety in case the military conflict expands, the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia decided to organize the evacuation of Chinese compatriots. They set up two working groups, led by the heads of the embassy separately, to go to the area of conflict from the east and the west.
Under the coordination of the embassy, the first batch of 402 compatriots in more than 60 vehicles set off from Tigray and safely arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia on the evening of November 12.
Then, the embassy began the evacuation of the remaining Chinese, who were basically in the western part of Tigray where the armed conflict is quite fierce.
On November 13, a sugar refinery built by a Chinese company in Tigray was bombed. A total of 187 Chinese compatriots work in this sugar factory, and their lives were threatened by war.
The embassy accelerated the pace and contacted the ENDF to assist in the escort. By November 19, most of the remaining Chinese have been evacuated successively, except for a few who stayed for duty.
During the whole operation, the evacuation teams overcame many difficulties, such as local communication interruption, scattered residence, frequent emergencies, long and complicated journey, etc., and passed through five administrative regions, with a total journey of more than 4,000 km.
Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan went to the outskirts of the capital twice to welcome them and expressed his cordial greetings.
" It is really difficult to gather all the people and evacuate," said Lei Yanxing, a Chinese teacher at Mekelle University in Tigray, "The moment of crisis shows the spirit of solidarity and mutual love among Chinese compatriots, and the evacuation organized by the embassy also makes people feel the warmth of our motherland."